Tofu Chocolate Pudding

Tofu Chocolate Pudding Recipe
Serves: 8 (1/2 cup each)
Preparation Time: less than 15 minutes
Adapted from original source!
Ingredients:
1 block of tofu
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:
1. Blend tofu in blender or food processor until smooth
2. Transfer to a pot. Add chocolate chips. Heat over medium heat until chocolate chips are melted. Stir constantly.
3. Remove from heat. Add in maple syrup.
4. Transfer to individual dishes and allow to cool. Serve room temp OR refrigerate and serve cool. You choose!


Of note:
I used a one speed blender instead of a food processor. The end result is tofu that is not as smooth as when a food processor is used; however, if you dont have a food processor than a blender suffices! '

Nutrition Facts
1 serving = 1/2 cup
Calories 200


Okay. Okay. Not what I would call low calorie by any means but all foods in moderation! The tofu provides a thick, creamy texture and the chocolate provides the typical chocolate dessert richness. All in all, a half cup is more than plenty! And you get more protein than if you were consuming cow's milk based chocolate pudding! :) In the end, however, if you want a healthier option (meaning lower calorie), just reduce the portion of chocolate chips used. Start with a half cup and taste product. Increase up to 3/4 cup. (You save 35-70 calories per 1/2 cup with a reduction of 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup chocolate chips in entire batch!)

One Stop Farm'ing

Hello Autumn. I missed you. Autumn rings apples, pumpkins, and the last chance to get fresh fruits and vegetables. It also glistens with foliage and calms you with its sweet, crisp fragrance and cool tingling breeze. Hello Autumn. I missed you.

Every year I have the same impulse- I must go apple picking, pumpkin picking, and visit a local farm. Every year I want change; I wanna go somewhere new!!!

With unpredictable weather patterns and the never-ending to-do list, time is always an issue. Sad to admit it, but even I did not have the time to visit more than one farm this year. In my opinion it's fun to farm hop- you know, go from one farm to the next and making it a whole day's adventure.

Last year and in the previous years, I have visited many great farms; however, each one would have a specialty- if you will. Farm A would pride themselves on everything apples- apple picking, homemade apple goodies, apple cider and more. Farm B would pride themselves on the largest pumpkins around and/or the best pumpkins for pies! And Farm C, D, and E would be a vegetable farm, or a dairy farm, or an animal farm. You get my point- farm hopping!

With time- as mentioned above- as the issue, I was in search of one stop farm'ing!! And just lucky for me, I found such a place!! This year I visited the Fairmount Fruit Farm in Franklin, Massachusetts. They have a hay ride available for all! Although the farm appears to be on the smaller side compared to other orchards I've been too, there were still plenty of apples to go around- and more! :) If you didn't want to pick apples, there were pecks sitting and waiting. (FYI a peck is the small bag of apples!) There are a variety of pumpkins waiting to be brought home to be carved or baked into something yummy! The farm also has pears; you can't pick them because the tress are fragile, but they too are ready and waiting to be eaten as is or baked into something yummy! The store also has an array of fresh vegetables (at a fabulous price might I add!) Some vegetables include cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, sweet potatoes, onions and more. Read the website (link above) for their animal product availability. I'm very much pro free range! (Yay!)

And last, but not least, the animals themselves. I was very pleasantly surprised to see my favorite animal among the chickens and sheep! Which animal is that....? MR. LLAMA!!!


Happy Farm'ing!! :)
Oh- and Happy Autumn too!

5 Health Foods That Aren't as Healthy as They Seem!!

Everyday I find myself debunking the truth about "healthy" foods. Although there is sometimes merit to the idea behind the food, more times than not our supersizeme desire for a 'gourmet' meal in ten seconds or less has removed any hope for some foods to actually be healthy.

The following article barely needs an introduction. We think of sushi, rice cakes, bran muffins, yogurt, and pita chips as 'healthy.' We can even throw salads into that mix, but welcome to 2010 and anything we once considered healthy has very unfortunately been thrown 'to the wolves.' Happy reality check! :)

5 Health Foods That Aren't as Healthy as They Seem!!

Take a Stance Against Genetically Engineered Foods

I'm just not a fan of GE foods. I prefer whole foods. Do your own research. Tell me what you think. For me, I don't want to eat something created in a lab. And if that means I'm limited to local, seasonally grown foods- so be it!

Take a stance against GE salmon ending up on your plate!!

Garlic Infused Roasted Vegetables

This is for all you garlic lovers!! Recipe adapted from original!

Garlic Infused Roasted Vegetables
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes (intact with skin)
1 small zucchini
1 head of garlic, peeled and whole
1 tsp dried rosemary
black pepper
salt
olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then, begin by washing and cleaning potatoes and zucchini. Chop potatoes and zucchini into large chunks. Place in a glass baking dish, which has been pre-coated with olive oil to prevent sticking. Place cloves of garlic strategically around dish in between potato and zucchini pieces. Brush olive oil on-top of vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired. Finally sprinkle with rosemary. Stir mixture about every 15-20 minutes to prevent sticking and burning. Vegetables with roast for about 1 hour or until potatoes are soft with a poke of a fork and also light, crispy brown.

This dish should be accompanied by other tapas or should be a side dish to a main fish dish, for example. Although time-wise an hour is not usually considered quick, I consider this a quick meal because the preparation is SO easy and you can go along your merry way for an hour while this dish roasts! Enjoy!